this little life of mine

Over the course of this year, I have attempted to participate in various reading challenges. I thought at this stage of the game, I should probably check and see just how many challenges I succeeded in (or didn't).

The first challenge on my list is the Summer Reading Challenge  where I chose 10 books I had lying around to get read between June 20th and September 20th. Here is my post which included a list of the books I planned to read. As you can see, I did pretty well getting 6 out of the 10 books read. The other books are still sitting on my shelf and will likely end up on another challenge list next year!

The next several challenges were all listed on one post. They include the Speculative Fiction Challenge, the 2010 Flashback Reading Challenge, Support Your Local Library, the 2010 Challenge, the YA Reading Challenge, & tbr lite. I pretty much failed in all the challenges (and pretty much screwed up that page by trying to update it now; I gave up and just left it). To be honest, I kept forgetting I was even signed up for challenges, and just picked up and read books I either bought or had on hand, or heard about and picked up at the library.

That said, I did end up reading 42 books this year as of this moment (I am counting one that I havne't technically started yet, but will be starting this week and will likely finish before month's end.)! That's quite an accomplishment, I think! Check 'em out:

1. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson (not started yet, but will this week)
2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
4. Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow by The Miller Brothers
5. Murder at Cuyamaca Beach by Sue McGinty
6. The Scorch Trials  by James Dashner
7. Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey
8. Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher  (currently reading, almost finished)
9. Lies by Michael Grant
10. To Kill A Mockinbird by Harper Lee
11. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (read for Banned Books Week)
12. Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey
13. Redwall by Brian Jacques
14. First Test by Tamora Pierce
15. Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
16. School's Out - Forever by James Patterson
17. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
18. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
19. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
20. Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker
21. The Year Without Michael by Susan Beth Pfeffer
22. Except the Queen by Jane Yolen
23. The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison
24. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
25. Salt by Maurice Gee
26. The Line by Teri Hall
27. Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders
28. The Purpose Driven Lifey Rick Warren
29. Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
30. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
31. Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
32. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
33. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
34. Wake by Lisa McMann
35. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
36. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
37. Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Stephenie Meyer
38. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
39. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
40. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
41. Hunger: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant
42. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Reading this list I am reminded of all the awesome books I've read this year, all the awesome characters I've met and all the awesome adventures we've gone on together. I'm also reminded of several trilogies or series I started that I need to hunt down the sequel(s) of, as well as a couple series I started that I'm not going to bother reading further.

I've been contemplating doing more reading challenges next year, but right now I'm too tired to even think about it, so I don't know that I'll bother. Unless, of course, I find some that just sound too fun. We'll see!